The Czech Karolina Muchova beat the American Coco Gauff on Thursday in a semi-final full of tension that culminated in a tiebreaker with unexpected twists. The final score was 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (10).
Gauff wasted a match point in the tiebreaker when she missed a forehand after a powerful first serve. “I panicked a little,” the American admitted when explaining that she was trying to drop a shot.
Muchova, for her part, also let her first match point slip after slipping on the grass. But on the next opportunity, with a flurry of blows to the corners, he forced Gauff to make the final mistake. The Czech woman, incredulous, covered her hands.
“It was a very big fight. It was a roller coaster,” Muchova said. “You go up and down in 10 seconds. There is no time to think, but it makes you very nervous.”
A Czech final guaranteed
Muchova will face her compatriot Linda Noskova this Saturday, who beat Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 6-4. She will be the third Czech champion in four years at Wimbledon, after Marketa Vondrousova (2023) and Barbora Krejcikova (2024).
Muchova, ninth in the ranking, is looking for her first Grand Slam after losing in the final of Roland Garros 2023 against Iga Swiatek. Despite injuries to both wrists that slowed her down for two years, she has now reached at least the semi-finals in all four major tournaments.
Gauff, seventh in the world, equaled her best performance at Wimbledon: she had never made it past the fourth round, including her emergence in 2019 when she was 15 years old. She had won six of her previous seven matches against Muchova. The Czech, on the other hand, has been almost unbeatable on grass this year, with a record of 11-1 after her title in Bad Homburg (Germany). Her only loss was to Madison Keys at the Berlin Open.
The match was played in intense 33°C heat in London, forcing spectators to protect themselves from the sun. Muchova showed signs of fatigue, bending over during a long rally and holding her abdomen. “I was just trying to catch my breath,” he clarified.
Friday’s men’s semifinals will be Jannik Sinner against Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev against Britain’s Arthur Fery.
